Single-edge razors have never really been my first choice when I grab my daily shaving implement. They've been more of a curiosity - an interesting occasional change of pace. I was always able to get acceptable shaves out of them, but never as close as a good DE shaver with my regular Personna "Lab" blades.
However, lately I've been using my 1912 and Clog-Pruf MM almost exclusively and getting absolutely fantastic results. Better than I'd ever imagined.
The difference has been due to two things, which I'd recommend for anyone who's not convinced of the SE shaver's effectiveness.
First, I switched out carbon steel blades for stainless coated. The regular carbon-steel GEM/Personna blades sold as generics in many stores just never did it for me. They were acceptable, but I couldn't comfortably get as close a shave from them as I could from a DE blade. Just switching to the GEM PTFE-coated stainless blades in bulk from Pella changed the comfort profile considerably.
Second, I followed the advice of some of the intrepid LOSERs around these parts and changed up the shaving angle. If I were to summarize my adjustments, it would be that I now consider the purpose of the guard/comb is only to keep the blade from cutting you, and the function of the blade door is only to keep the blade from falling out. Neither is a reliable guide for the proper angle, and the "Hold razor flat against face" instructions GEM provided over the years are just wrong. Tilting the razor about 10-15 degrees up from the plane of the blade door seems to be about right for me, and you can hear the difference. In addition, the shaving motion is more fluid since a smaller amount of surface is in contact with the skin making for less drag.
Now, my SE shaves rival my closest DE shaves. And I see what the fuss is about.
However, lately I've been using my 1912 and Clog-Pruf MM almost exclusively and getting absolutely fantastic results. Better than I'd ever imagined.
The difference has been due to two things, which I'd recommend for anyone who's not convinced of the SE shaver's effectiveness.
First, I switched out carbon steel blades for stainless coated. The regular carbon-steel GEM/Personna blades sold as generics in many stores just never did it for me. They were acceptable, but I couldn't comfortably get as close a shave from them as I could from a DE blade. Just switching to the GEM PTFE-coated stainless blades in bulk from Pella changed the comfort profile considerably.
Second, I followed the advice of some of the intrepid LOSERs around these parts and changed up the shaving angle. If I were to summarize my adjustments, it would be that I now consider the purpose of the guard/comb is only to keep the blade from cutting you, and the function of the blade door is only to keep the blade from falling out. Neither is a reliable guide for the proper angle, and the "Hold razor flat against face" instructions GEM provided over the years are just wrong. Tilting the razor about 10-15 degrees up from the plane of the blade door seems to be about right for me, and you can hear the difference. In addition, the shaving motion is more fluid since a smaller amount of surface is in contact with the skin making for less drag.
Now, my SE shaves rival my closest DE shaves. And I see what the fuss is about.
